Mercury Simulation
This is a simulation of what one would expect to find on a terraformed Mercury, using formulas from Math And Terraforming. Please note that not even the supercomputers at NASA can provide us with a perfect simulation. The information showed here is only an approximation. Basic data *Distance from Sun: 57.909 million km *Diameter: 4879 km *Solar Constant: 13.196 *Mass: 0.055 Earths *Mean density: 5.427 kg/l *Orbital period: 88 Earth days *Synodic period (day length): 116 Earth days *Rotation axial tilt: below 10 degrees Atmosphere See Atmosphere Parameters Data varies, depending on what type of atmosphere we want to have. Mercury has high altitude variations, therefore is a Mountain Planet. In order for air currents to pass over natural berries, the atmosphere needs to be higher. Mercury has a low gravity, which allows an atmosphere to be more fluffy. A too dense atmosphere for a planet that close to the Sun will result in a runaway greenhouse effect. During this simulation, we will use an atmosphere with the same pressure at sea level as Earth's and a similar composition. *Atmosphere stability for oxygen molecules: **Earth's gravity (15 degrees C): 4.116 **Mercury's gravity (15 degrees C): 10.86 **Mercury's gravity (400 degrees C): 25.37 *Atmosphere stability for water molecules: **Earth's gravity (15 degrees C): 7.320 **Mercury's gravity (15 degrees C): 19.30 **Mercury's gravity (400 degrees C): 45.09 *Atmosphere stability for hydrogen molecules: **Earth's gravity (15 degrees C): 65.88 **Mercury's gravity (15 degrees C): 173.7 **Mercury's gravity (400 degrees C): 405.8 notes: A value below 10 means stability for over a million years, a value between 10 and 100 means stability between 0.1 and 10 millions of years, while a value higher then 100 means stability for less then 10 thousand years. This calculation does not include solar wind erosion. Conclusion: Below the anti-greenhouse layer, Mercury is able to sustain oxygen and water vapors for long. Above the protective layers, atmosphere and water will escape in space in millennia. Hydrogen atoms and molecules above the anti-greenhouse layers will be lost fast. The atmosphere will look like this: *Ground average temperature: 15 degrees C *Surface pressure at sea level: 1 *Atmosphere total mass (Earth = 1): 0.55 *Atmosphere breathable height: 36.4 km *Atmosphere total height: 126 km Temperature Main article: Temperature. The first problem with Mercury is that we need to gain the correct surface temperature. The Solar Constant is high (12.196), compared to Earth (1.98). Anti Greenhouse Technology provides us with a few solutions. Anti Greenhouse Gasses exist, but are not studied well enough and might not work to reduce the solar constant by over 6 times. The use of space lens and space mirrors could be difficult, because we will need a very big number of them and they will be a hazard to space traffic. Micro Helium Balloons, a principle described in a Soviet sci-fi novel, could be a solution. The Greenhouse Calculator shows us that Mercury will need balloons to shield 87% of the sky. Climate Simulation Main article: Climate. On Earth, the average temperature is +15 degrees C. The anti greenhouse technology will try its best to keep this average temperature for Mercury too. Mercury has a diameter smaller then Earth (0.382), but has high mountains. On the other hand, the atmosphere will be higher, allowing air currents to pass over the high terrain obstacles. Average temperatures for each latitude: *poles: -44 C *75 deg: -10 C *60 deg: 2 C *45 deg: 12 C *30 deg: 20 C *15 deg: 27 C *equator: 33 C Day - night cycle variation: Mercury has a very long day (116 Earth days). Because of this, there will be huge temperature differences between day and night. *Daily temperature variation: 64 degrees C *Equator day-night variations: 1 to 65 degrees C *Near pole day-night variations: -42 to 22 degrees C. Seasons: Mercury has a very small axial tilt, so that seasons are almost unnoticeable. Conclusion. Mercury will have an interesting climate pattern. Temperatures will be comparable with what we see on Earth, but with very sharp changes during its short day. During night, it is possible to see snow at the equator, while at the poles it will be Siberian cold. During day, at the poles it will be warm enough to swim, but at the equator it will be too hot to survive. Such variations will trigger massive storms. Humans will have to adapt, to live underground during extreme weather or to migrate. Geography See also: Geography and Geographic Pattern - Craters. Mercury has a rough terrain, with huge altitude differences. It can be considered a Mountain Planet. Luckily, its atmosphere will be fluffy enough to allow air currents to pass over mountain barriers that are 3 times higher then those on Earth. Oceans. On Mercury, because of the high elevation differences, oceans will be deeper then on Earth. For this, terraformers will need huge amounts of water to bring in. Deep craters will divide water basins into many endorheic systems. Basically, on Mercury we will not have a single ocean, but a multitude of oceans and lakes, partially unconnected. The poles are places with low altitude, so they will host oceans. Because temperature is lower there, the oceans will be mostly covered by ice. An endorheic water basin has no connection to the ocean. Therefore, it is highly sensitive to rainfall fluctuations. Because of this, in time, many lakes and seas will dry, while others will increase in volume. This can be controlled by building a network of vast artificial canyons. Rivers. Mercury has no classic valleys. Once terraforming is done, water will start to build its own pathways. There will be places of erosion, with steep grades and impressive waterfalls, together with places where sedimentation will occur. Because of the huge temperature variations that will occur daily, rivers will experience massive variations in outflow. Mountains. There are places where altitude rises over 10000 m above average level (sea level). However, because of its low gravity, the atmosphere there will not be as rarefied as it would be on Earth. Atmosphere pressure decreases nearly 3 times lower then on Earth. Because of this, the high mountains will not always be covered by glaciers. Deserts. On a long timescale, water from endorheic basins around the equator, where evaporation is more frequent, will move towards the poles. Because of this, we can expect large parts of the planet to become deserts. Mercury will be in part a Desert planet. The Sky As one can see above, the atmosphere of Mercury will weight 55% compared to the atmosphere of Earth. In fact, gas weight per surface unit will be greater then on Earth. Because of this, the sky on Mercury should be blue, like the sky on Earth, but stars will be less visible during night. We don't know what Anti Greenhouse Technology will be used. This technology might create a haze that will reflect visible light, allowing infrared to pass, further diminishing visibility. It could be possible that, because of this technology, the sky will look completely unusual and even the sun might not be visible. Still, assuming the sky will allow settlers to see celestial bodies like we see here on Earth, the sky will be interesting. *The Sun will appear 24 units wide (like an object 24 mm wide will appear if you look from a distance of 1 m, see Angular Size for details). *Venus will have a Magnitude of -6 to -4. *Earth will have a magnitude of -4. *Moon will have a magnitude of -2. *Mars will have a magnitude of -1.7. *Jupiter will have a magnitude of -2. *Saturn will have a magnitude of 0 to +1.5, depending on ring phase. Human Colonies *Population limit: 112 million *Land population feeding capacity: 45 people fed from one square km *Largest city supported by environment: 448 000 people Assuming it will have similar types of terrain Earth will have, Mercury can support a Population Limit of 112 million people. As one can see, the climate is not quite friendly. People will have to build underground to survive the extreme weather or to migrate. Knowing its diameter, to remain close to sunrise or sunset at the equator, one has to travel 130 km daily. This will require a massive infrastructure, which will be severely damaged by storms. A town on Mercury will be affected by high temperatures during the day and will be covered by ice during night. In such conditions, people will adapt hard and will prefer to build underground. Industry Mercury has rich deposits of minerals and metals, which can be mined in the deserts surrounding the equator. The natural barriers will limit Pollution to certain endorheic basins. Industrial corporations can also develop around. The future of Mercury is that of an industrial state. The rivers and wind currents can provide enough energy for all cities and industrial corporations. Agriculture Because of the short seasons, plants will need to grow very fast, in the equivalent of 50 Earth days. An alternative can be the use of greenhouses and artificial illumination. However, it will be cheaper to produce food on the planet then to import it. Transportation The planet will experience massive storms and powerful air currents, that will affect both the infrastructure and airlines. Surface transport will be difficult and will require massive investments. Mercury has no long-term stable orbits and that will be a major challenge for the Mercury Space Station. On the surface, a base needs to be built, in the place with least violent storms, to handle passenger and cargo traffic. Trade Routes to other planets are more frequent then on any other planet in the Solar System. This will have a great influence for commerce. It is impossible to have a geostationary satellite around Mercury. There will be a suite of satellites used for telecommunications, that will circle the planet on ever changing orbits. If the anti-greenhouse technology chosen is to use space mirrors and lens, this will dramatically affect space vehicles. Other solutions, like micro helium balloons, will block radio signals. Tourism With its unique features, Mercury will certainly attract tourists. Wild Life Not all plants and animals from Earth can adapt to the harsh environment of Mercury. Closer to the poles, vegetation and animals from Earth's tundra might survive. In temperate regions, forests will probably not survive, but many weeds and lichens will do. At the equator, where temperature can reach very high values, during day, most forms of life will parish. Still, in deserts, life forms from Sahara can survive. Oceans will offer the best alternatives for life. Deep inside, temperature will not change too much, algae and fish will adapt better. Category:Math Category:Simulation